Home Kale Falafel Balls [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

Kale Falafel Balls [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

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Soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside with warm peppery spices and fresh herbs. These falafel balls are high in protein and relatively low in fat and cholesterol. Fry them or bake them, you are bound to fall in love with this twist on classic falafel that adds superfood kale to the mix!

Kale Falafel Balls [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

Serves

20 balls

Ingredients

  • 10.6 ounces dried chickpeas, do not use canned chickpeas
  • 2 cups dark green kale leaves, finely chopped
  • 4 to 5 green spring onions (shallots), finely chopped
  • 3 to 5 garlic buds, pressed with skins discarded
  • 2 teaspoons powdered cumin
  • 1 teaspoon powdered coriander
  • A pinch powdered cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
  • One handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped fine
  • One handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped fine
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill weed, chopped fine
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seed oil
  • 3 tablespoons chickpea flour
  • Pink salt and ground pepper, to taste
  • Sesame seeds for coating the falafels
  • Sunflower seed oil or omega-3 vegetable oil for frying

Preparation

To Make the Falafel:

  1. Soak the dried chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight in a bowl with plenty of cold water.
  2. Drain and spread the peas on a clean tea towel to dry.
  3. Put them in the food processor and process. The beans should be mixed to a paste, but still lumpy looking. Set aside.
  4. In a medium-size frying pan, add one tablespoon of oil and heat the oil. Sauté on medium-low the kale, onions, garlic, cumin, coriander, cardamon and ginger for a short time, about 2 minutes until kale and onions are soft and spices are fragrant.
  5. Incorporate the kale and onion mixture with the beans in the food processor and process just enough to evenly mix the ingredients. Don’t overly process. You may need to stop the processor to stir the mixture and scrape the sides and process again.
  6. Add the fresh coriander and parsley leaves, dill weed, cayenne, oil, flour, salt, pepper, and keep processing. The mixture should look like the texture of couscous and a paste. It should have the consistency of a lumpy/grainy paste. Don’t over-process.
  7. Pour the mixture in a bowl and cover it. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  8. Form flattish balls by pressing the mixture with cold wet hands. You can also use an ice-cream or a falafel scoop. The mixture will feel delicate, tender and almost flaky and not easy to handle. That is normal. It’s the right texture to a great falafel. It’s fine if the balls aren’t perfectly round or oval. Roll the balls in the sesame seeds. The seeds help them bind and give them an outer crunch.

To Fry the Falafel:

  1. Fill a small deep skillet with oil – about a depth of 1 inch; or just enough oil to fry the bottom half of the falafel balls. They shouldn’t submerge in oil since you will be flipping them and frying them one side at a time. I use a light, good quality oil for frying, such as Omega-3 vegetable or sunflower seed oil.
  2. When the oil is hot and ready (you may need to lower or adjust heat), fry the balls in batches of 5 at a time. Fry them for 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip them on the other side and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
  3. When golden brown on both sides, remove the balls with a slotted spoon and let them dry on a paper towel. Do the next batch. Serve warm or cold.

To Bake the Falafel:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly space out the falafels.
  3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, flipping them halfway.
  4. When done, they should be lightly brown on each side.
  5. Let them cool slightly before eating. Serve warm or cold.

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AUTHOR & RECIPE DETAILS


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Eating right is fundamental to maintaining good health and preventing disease. It is also important for the environment. Julie combines her years of medical experience with her passion for healthy eating to bring you nutritious and delicious recipes. With Bachelor Degrees in Psychology and Nursing, and a Master’s Degree in Community Health Nursing Education, Julie has worked in a variety of health care settings, from intensive care to medical-surgical to community and public health. She has taught in nursing faculties in Toronto, Canada and in Geneva, Switzerland, and has done consulting work with the International Council of Nurses (ICN). Julie is constantly experimenting in the kitchen to come up with healthy recipes that everyone can enjoy. As the founder of Health Continuum, she believes that good health is more than the sum of its parts.



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